Investing in your health

A strong economy guarantees access to services that are essential to our health. We are providing record funding for medicare, new medicines, mental health, medical research, hospitals and the NDIS.

Hospital funding up Commonwealth funding for Victoria’s hospitals is growing from $3.3 billion in 2012-13 to $7 billion in 2024-25.

Mental health We are investing more than Investing more than $4.7 billion each year in mental health services. Kooyong is fortunate to host a headspace site in Hawthorn which also receives federal government funding and for which I was a strong advocate.

More life saving medicines listed on the PBS The Coalition Government has invested over $10.5 billion in new listings on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) for more than 2000 new drugs since we came to Government in 2013.

Rock solid commitment to Medicare Australians rely on Medicare to provide a safety net to meet their health needs. We are continuing our rock-solid commitment to Medicare with an additional $4.8 billion investment, building on the Medicare Guarantee Fund we established last year.

Fully funding the NDIS We have guaranteed funding of the National Disability and Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Australians with a permanent and significant disability deserve the best care we can provide. The NDIS commenced in Kooyong in November 2017 and once fully established will directly help an estimated 1,800 residents.

Funding for Australia’s health and medical research sector We have allocated a record $6 billion for health and medical research. This includes continued funding for the National Health and Medical Research Council, the Biomedical Translation Funds and $2 billion in disbursements from the Medical Research Future Fund.

Free flu vaccine The Coalition Government has provided two new ground-breaking flu vaccines to over three million Australians aged 65 years and over – free of charge. The vaccines were fast-tracked to ensure lives are saved and older Australians receive greater protection.

Tackling drug addictionTo tackle the drug epidemic, we have committed more than $685 million over four years to reduce the impact of drug and alcohol misuse. This includes funding for Primary Health Networks for locally based treatment including services in Kooyong.

Because we have a strong economy, we can deliver the essential health services Australians need and expect.